Sep 27, 2011

rebirth

Sunday September 25 marked perhaps a new beginning in our travels, upon debuting the new issue of The Eclectic Screening Room at Word on the Street. It has been a year since we've published, and almost as long since we've done any shows, but happily we're back in the saddle, and looking forward to getting on the road again this fall to spread the good word on ESR, re-unite with old friends, and hopefully to make some new allies along the way. But also, we've reached a milestone here at Camp ESR. It was exactly ten years ago when we first debuted our little magazine to the public. Most micro-publications don't last ten issues, let alone ten years.

Why have we still lasted? Perhaps because ESR hasn't turned into the money pit it may have if I ever did fulfil my dream of going wide with distribution. In the intervening years, publications bigger and better than mine have perished, but we're still here precisely because our operating costs and inventory remain small. But also, we strive to offer up content that hasn't already been written about to death online- there is still room to be unique in this new world.

There are always tribulations in getting a new issue together, and this one was compounded due to personal issues in the past several months, but happily, we didn't throw in the towel. Thus, the debut of the new issue two days ago was just the shot in the arm we needed. It was ingratiating to be re-acquainted with old friends, who were also generous with their words of encouragement, thus reminding us why we do what we do. The work of the past several weeks paid off with a fun day- kicking it off by serving anniversary cake (while it lasted!) to our customers. The day flew by, with only one lull to speak of- so much so, that in retrospect this year's appearance at Word on the Street seemed surreal due to the fact that the traffic was so constant we barely had a chance to check out the rest of the fair, thus it seemed like we weren't part of it at all! Even so, I had a chance to sneak out here and there to stock up on missed issues of CineAction (okay, not a stretch- they were our neighbours), as well as to raid the dollar bins at the Musicworks booth. Sunday was a fun and rewarding day, and already we've got some future plans in store, which I'll reveal at the appropriate time.

And for those who missed us on Sunday, here's what you can find in the new issue. Although this is the tenth anniversary of ESR, I resisted the urge to publish a "greatest hits" package, and instead just decided to release a traditional issue, which ran the gamut of the diverse range of cinema that we like to cover, thus still a fitting tribute for our namesake. Within these pages you'll find coverage of the latter period of Otto Preminger, Orson Welles' The Immortal Story, Arthur Lipsett's collage films, a look at video games in cinema, the Wisconsin chillers of Bill Rebane, and more. Finally, we've also reviewed independent films and videos that have been sent to us- if you would like us to review your film in an upcoming issue, please drop us a line.

After being cooped up for most of this year, and presently rejuvenated with a renewed energy and purpose, my head is now swimming with ideas on how to move further with this little project, and we hope that you, dear reader, will continue the journey with us, and enjoy it as much as we do.

These past ten years still were only made possible because of the contributions of many. I'd like to offer my deep thanks to Brian, Chris, David, Dion, Gordon, Jason, Jason (yes there are two), Jonathan, Leo, Rob, Simon, Skot, Vicky and Will, who have written articles for us over the years, thus adding fresh and different dialogues to these pages. Also my gratitude is for you, dear readers, for the support, interest and acclaim you have given us to encourage the continuation of our journey. Finally, my greatest thanks goes to Susan, my wife, best friend and right arm, who was always there to give me a little push when needed. Thank you for believing in what I do- I love you.

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Thisis the online companion to my print publication, The Eclectic Screening Room, featuring film reviews and articles. Since the print zine has published far less frequently in recent years, this blog can be more timely with news and reviews. In addition to writings exclusive to the web, this site also features pieces from out-of-print back issues of the old zine.